Antonio Gades, a renowned choreographer and director of a flamenco company, is obsessed with the idea of creating a modern and authentic reinterpretation of Carmen, aiming to capture the soul of the passion and tragedy that permeate the original work. During the intense auditions for the lead role, his attention is drawn to Carmen, a dancer with a magnetic stage presence, possessing an indomitable and mysterious personality. Antonio is immediately captivated and recognizes in her the living embodiment of his ideal Carmen. As the creative process takes shape on stage, the line between art and life begins to dissolve, while the professional relationship between the choreographer and Carmen quickly transforms into a passionate and tumultuous love story. The consuming jealousy, the fatal attraction, and the intrinsic violence of their unbridled passion echo the central themes of the opera they are staging. The choreographer, increasingly imprisoned by this relationship, slips into a spiral of possessiveness and obsession, unable to distinguish the Carmen actress who brings his performance to life from the Carmen woman he loves and who is consuming him. Thus unfolds a fascinating metanarrative game of mirrors, where reality starts to imitate and eventually get devoured by fiction.
Flamenco, with its passionate movements, its inherent dramaticity, and its burning sensuality, becomes a powerful means to effectively express the deepest emotions and amplifies the psychological tension between the protagonists. An unsettling ambiguity permeates the narrative, guiding it toward a finale that ominously echoes the conclusion of Bizet’s opera. It is a reflection on art that becomes life, on the creative process that devours its own creators, and on the destructive force of human passions—swallowing reality itself into an illusion so powerful that it becomes truth.

Directed by: Carlos Saura. Story: Based on the story of the same name by Prosper Mérimée. Screenplay: Carlos Saura, Antonio Gades. Cinematography: Teodoro Escamilla. Editing: Pedro del Rey. Production Design: Félix Murcia. Costume Design: Teresa Nieto. Music: Georges Bizet (from the opera of the same name), Paco de Lucía (originals and flamenco arrangements). Makeup: Benjamín Pérez.
Cast: Antonio Gades (Antonio), Laura del Sol (Carmen), Cristina Hoyos (Cristina), Paco de Lucía (himself), Juan Antonio Jiménez (Juan), José Yepes (Pepe Girón), Sebastián Moreno (Escamillo), Marisol (Pepa Flores).
Production: Emiliano Piedra, Spanish Television (TVE).
Distribution: C.B. Films (Spain); Academy Pictures, General Video, Sao Paulo Audiovisivi (Italy). Year: 1983. Running time: 102 minutes.